I disagree Rhemes. God back to my original dbate with "philosopher".

I agree that the Irish Catholics of Ireland are only a drop in the ocean but let's not forget the descendants of Irish Catholics found worldwide. These people (like the American Irish) are deeply rooted in their ancestry and to some extent still deeply rooted in their Catholicism. For instance in the United-States alone, there are more or less 36.200 000 Americans of Irish descent. On top of this, there's Australia, New-Zealand, Canada and Britain.
So no, Irish Catholicism is not minimal. This … [Más]

Hey Rhemes, hi I do not deny that the Irish Church produced many, many saints. However, these were the exception to the rule and not in modern times. Just read the Irish Poenitentials of St Columba and Ninian, etc.

Do do the research before you speak dear man. Everything must be contextualised. I think they need to be brought to naught, then rebuild more firmly in Caritas et amor Dei.

@Trinitas - Quite! HOwever, as I have said already, nothing built upon pathological fear and punishment, like the Irish Church, can last..... The Irish Church must be brought to naught in order for Her to be re-born anew, in the love God - rather than vengence and the fire-and-brimstone brand of Christianity so characteristic of Irish Catholicism!

Louella, I am glad that I follow a Shepherd who cares for
the one lost sheep as He does for the other ninety-nine.

Ireland does have a small Catholic population compared
to the 136 million Catholics in Brazil, but since when did
the smaller parts of the body of Christ no longer matter?

If I had one wish for the Irish Catholic Church, I would
like to see all the Irish Bishops / Vicar Generals annually
walk bare foot up the hill of Croagh Patrick to atone
for their predecessors handling of … [Más]

Louella,

Do you believe that Prime Minister Kenney is mistaken when he said:

"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution [the Catholic Church], its power, standing and 'reputation'," he said. "For the first time in Ireland, a report into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago."

And, if Kenney, … [Más]

Hardly a huge blow to the Vatican's prestige if we must talk in those terms. There are 4 million Irish people.... and though most are Catholic there are more Catholics in Vietnam than in Ireland. So it is really a drop in the ocean.

The Government said the reason for closing the embassy is to save money. They are very hard up for cash now that the Celtic tiger is well and truly dead!

The Vatican became embroiled in the latest Irish church scandal after revelations about a 1997 letter, from the then Papal Nuncio to Irish bishops, a year after reporting guidelines were enforced to enhance child protection.

The correspondence stated that the bishops policy was "merely a discussion document" and that the Vatican had serious moral and canon reservations about mandatory reporting of clerical abuse.

Mr Kenny said the role of the Church in refusing to act was unacceptable. He … [Más]